A team of UK and US researchers developed a mathematical model to calculate what impact the sudden loss of megafauna - animals with a body mass of more than 44kg (97lb) - had on the Amazonia’s ecosystem.

Results showed that the extinctions resulted in a 98% reduction in the dispersal of phosphorus (chemical symbol “P”).

“This resulted in strong decreases in phosphorus availability in eastern Amazonia away from fertile floodplains, a decline that may still be ongoing,” the scientists wrote.